NEW ORLEANS—Today, The Idea Village announces it has been accepted to become a GAN Accelerator, a highly-curated community of independent accelerators, partners and investors with one collective focus: Creating opportunities for startups around the world to access the human and financial capital they need so that they can build powerful businesses and make a meaningful impact, “wherever they call home.”
Details were shared in a press release.
As a GAN Accelerator, The Idea Village joins more than 100 industry-leading accelerators in the GAN Community, which spans more than 120 cities and six continents across the globe. GAN only accepts about 3 percent of global applications to join its Accelerator network and was named one of the top 10 “expert resources” for startups in 2017 by Entrepreneur magazine.
“We are very excited about the validation this brings to our work and the opportunity this affords us to bring new resources into our community," said Jon Atkinson, CEO of The Idea Village. "This partnership connects us with a global community of best-in-class, technology-focused accelerator programs and will bring direct value to the 13 local startup companies we’re assisting this year.”
Joining GAN will allow The Idea Village to work with leading industry experts and offer New Orleans-area startups international opportunities in training, networking and investing.
As a cornerstone of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in New Orleans, The Idea Village is excited for the opportunity to provide unparalleled resources to its current and future startups. As a nearly 20-year-old nonprofit organization, The Idea Village has supported more than 8,000 entrepreneurs, provided $26.7 million in resources, and facilitated $225 million in economic impact to the region. The Idea Village’s entrepreneurs have raised more than $185 million in private capital, and it expects to see this number increase through GAN Ventures, which invests in 15 companies from GAN Accelerators per year.
“As one of the oldest accelerator programs in our network, and an organization with exciting new leadership, The Idea Village shares the knowledge, commitment, professionalism, and ideals along with a genuine passion for building startups required by our members to collectively achieve success,” said Pat Riley, CEO of GAN. “Operating a quality accelerator program isn’t easy—but The Idea Village has a demonstrated track record of improving businesses in the New Orleans region for nearly 20 years. And that’s something to celebrate.”
The Idea Village recently welcomed 13 tech startups to its 2019 accelerator programs. The startups are underway in market testing and meeting with their entrepreneurs-in-residence, along with a dedicated team of experts and mentors. The 2019 cohort will work to accelerate their market positions and prepare for Demo Day, where they will showcase their products and services to a panel of investors and industry leaders.
